Marshall Islands calls for curbs on maritime carbon emissions

The Marshall Islands, holder of one of the world's largest shipping registries, has called for measures to curb maritime carbon emissions ahead of a global climate deal due to be finalised in Paris in December.

The tiny Pacific nation's plea comes in a submission to the International Maritime Organisation, the UN agency responsible for global shipping.

"We are an island nation and shipping is one of our lifelines," Tony de Brum, Marshall Islands foreign minister, said in a statement. "At the same time, carbon emissions, including those from shipping, pose an existential threat to our people and our country."

Maritime emissions are responsible for nearly 3 per cent of global emissions. This is roughly equal to the emissions accounted for by Germany or Japan but, unlike those countries, shipping emissions are expected to keep rising.

The Marshall Islands submission to the IMO says the agency's own research shows shipping emissions are expected to rise by 50 to 250 per cent by 2050 unless tougher curbs are introduced.

With several countries calling for shipping emissions to be included in the Paris climate agreement, it was imperative for the IMO to set a global shipping emissions target quickly, he said.

Shipping and aviation industry emissions have never been formally included in more than 20 years of UN negotiations to stop climate change because no single country is responsible for them.

Instead, some countries have pressed the IMO and its UN aviation counterpart, the International Civil Aviation Organization, to come up with plans to limit each industry's emissions.

The maritime industry has taken several steps to improve the efficiency of its vessels in recent years and the IMO says shipping carbon dioxide emissions fell from 3.5 per cent of the global total in 2007 to 2.6 per cent in 2012.

"Progress in understanding how ships, and the companies responsible for those ships, can address greenhouse gas emissions has increased significantly in the period since 2007," an IMO spokeswoman said.

One measure introduced through the IMO that began in January sets specific emission reduction goals for new ships and is to be tightened every five years to keep pace with technological developments boosting efficiency.

But a study by Brussels-based Transport & Environment campaign group claims ships built in 2013 were on average 10 per cent less fuel-efficient than those built in 1990.

The IMO is due to review efficiency standards for new ships at a meeting of its Marine Environmental Protection Committee in London next month.

Mr de Brum, whose country holds the world's third largest independent shipping registry, is planning to attend the May meeting to urge the IMO to take decisive action ahead of the Paris climate meeting in December.

Shipping fees are one of the Marshall Islands' few regular sources of income but rising sea levels and other effects of global warming have made the country one of the most vocal supporters of tough international climate action.

Separately on Monday, the Carbon War Room, a non-profit group that campaigns for business climate action, said ship efficiency was starting to influence the financing decisions of some banks in the shipping industry.

Two European banks surveyed by the group, HSH Nordbank and KfW IPEX-Bank, said vessel efficiency rankings were helpful.

"In view of the beneficial risk profile and environmental benefits, we favour eco-ships over ships with poorer energy efficiency," said Carsten Wiebers, head of maritime industries at KfW IPEX-Bank.

Ingmar Loges, head of shipping at HSH Nordbank, said the bank "recognises the considerable influence energy efficiency can have on the profitability of ship operations and has integrated the evaluation of energy efficiency into its credit decision-making process".

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